This blog has been developed to facilitate interactive conversations about the Maynard School District. Individual student or personal matters must still be discussed privately with the appropriate personnel in the schools.

Friday, May 30, 2014

The Maynard SEPAC invites Maynard Special Education students, parents
and siblings to its 5th Annual Spring Ice Cream Social on Monday, June 2nd
from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at the Fowler School Cafeteria. This family event
will have lots of crafts, activities, and fun for the whole family! Students
from the Best Buddies program at the Maynard High School will be there to help
younger students with the crafts and activities, and to help serve ice cream!

This event is free and open to the whole family for students receiving
Special Education services in Maynard. Please contact Jennifer O’Leary with any
questions or to RSVP at sepacchair@maynard.k12.ma.us or 978-897-2705. (RSVP is helpful but not required)

A
message from the Athletic Director - Kevin Caruso

It
is hard to believe, but the high school spring regular season has come to an
end.

The baseball team finished 15-5 and will play in the MIAA tournament. They beat
AMSA in the first round and will play Millbury in the second round on Monday @ 4:00
@ MHS. Congratulations to the following players who were named league
all-stars: Robbie Oliphant, Joey Westerman, Brenden Dyer, and Zach Boerman.

The softball team finished 5-12 with a solid 27-16 win in their last game vs.
West Boylston. The girls worked hard all year and their improvement shined
through at the end. Congratulations to the following players who were named
league all-stars: Lindsay Egan and Erin Wesley.

Both JV teams performed well and showed signs of a bright future. The softball
team only had 3 losses!

Both middle school teams have a couple weeks left of games so it will be great
to see them continue to improve.

The boys track team finished 3-4 with continued improvement by all. Captain
Jeff Gately will move on to the state qualifier meet on May 31st at Fitchburg State. He will compete in the 400
hurdles and long jump. Jeff was also named league all-star.

The girls track team finished 5-2 with a second place performance in the league
meet. Ashley Chiasson, Anabelle Dentino, Rosie Cobb, Shannon Smith, Brenna
Smith and Amalia Luciano all qualified for the state qualifier. Congratulations
to all these girls for being named league all-stars.

The Maynard-Bromfield lacrosse team finished 4-14 which was an improvement from
last year. Matt Lalli played defense and finished the year with three points.

The LS/Maynard Girls Rugby team finished their season on Saturday with a win and
ended up 3rd in the state! Alyssa Bremar and Ashley Otieno represented Maynard
with pride!

Student
Work Permits - A message from the Massachusetts Attorney General, Martha Coakley

The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office
enforces Massachusetts
child labor laws, including work permit laws, aimed at keeping young workers
safe. We have learned through the Department of Public Health’s
Occupational Health Surveillance Program that 25% of Massachusetts teens injured at work do not
have work permits for their jobs at the time of injury. The work permit
plays an important role in keeping young people safe at work.

With summer fast approaching, if your son
or daughter is looking for a job and intending to get a work permit,
please read this important information from the Attorney General’s Office on
our website at::

Come out and support the Maynard High School
Class of 2018 During the Restaurant Week!

Roasted Peppers

65 Main Street, Maynard.

Phone:
(978) 461-9932

Website:
http://www.roastedpeppers.biz/index1.jsp

Dine in or order take out from Roasted Peppers on Thursday,
June 5th between 4:30pm and 9pm! Roasted Peppers will generously
donate up to 15% of your total purchase to The Class of 2018.

Papa Gino’s

Route
117 – Great Road
Shopping Plaza, Stow

Phone: (978) 897-9101

Website: https://www.papaginos.com/

Dine in or order take out from Papa Gino’s on Sunday, June 8th
between 12pm and 9pm! Papa Gino’s will generously donate 20% of your
total purchase to The Class of 2018.

How do you participate?It’s so simple! All you need to do is get
some great food and bring a Maynard flyer with you!In an effort for the restaurants to provide
you with the best service and to get the flyer needed to identify this fundraiser,
please RSVP to odoktorov@maynard.k12.ma.us
by Tuesday, June 3rd to provide the restaurants with a sense of
guest numbers. However, RSVP is NOT REQUIRED to participate in this event.

* Any guest participating with this flyer may not redeem
additional coupons.

When you make a tax-deductible donation to MEF, we
will send your child's teacher (s) a letter letting them know that your family
has given a gift in their name to the Maynard Education Foundation. (The amount
of your donation will remain confidential.)

Proceeds from the Teacher Tribute program benefit
MEF's grant program that enables teachers to pilot innovative programs,
participate in professional development activities, and enrich our schools'
curriculum.

To make a donation, please mail a check and the
following form to MEF, PO Box 89,
Maynard, MA 01754 OR donate online at www.maynardeducation.org and
make a note of the name (s) of the teachers you would like to honor.

Thank you for participating in the Maynard
Education Foundation's Teacher Tribute Program!

In an effort to
streamline these notes, I will provide important upcoming events or
announcements that have already been posted in previous Superintendent’s Notes
in this section.

2014/2015 Bus Registration

The
School Committee voted at the May 1st meeting to increase bus fees
to $260 for the 1st child and $215 for the 2nd child each
additional child beyond 2.

Registration
will be on May 19th. Forms will be available in school offices and
on our website on May 16th under “Forms to Download”.No registrations will be accepted before May
19th. Please call Colleen Moore if you have any questions
(978) 897-2222.

Pesticide Spraying

Maynard High School,
Fowler School, and Green Meadow School will undergo exterior building pesticide
spraying this spring by Waltham Service, Inc. Further information is available
at www.mass.gov/agr.
Follow the links to the Children’s protection page for: Chemical Specific Fact
Sheet and Consumer Information Bulletin for school, day care, and school age
childcare programs.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

I was made aware of recent concerns about the changes this
year in the traditional end of the year school day celebrations that include
food.I am sorry if the administration
did not clearly articulate this change in advance to all of our
constituents.However, I will take this
opportunity to provide everyone with the timeline of events and facts that went
into the decision to review the administrative regulation regarding these types
of celebrations.

At the end of last year we had an incident with a student
who had an undiagnosed allergic reaction requiring an ambulance ride to a
hospital.Also, the school nurses are required to keep track of the list of students with diagnosed life-threatening
allergens. The nurses have seen these lists grow significantly and track this information in order to manage the required medication
available and keep teachers informed about the needs of the children in their classrooms.As a result of these facts
and the research on increasing undiagnosed life-threatening allergic reactions,
the school nurses decided to review the Maynard Public Schools Health and
Wellness Administrative Regulation and make multiple recommendations to me.

While I did not approve all of the school nurses
recommendations, I realized the need to keep our students safe during the
school day and make the change to eliminate food based school day
celebrations.I also reformed the Health
and Wellness Committee and asked Kevin Caruso to be the Chair of that committee.The Committee's goal was to review the rest of the nurses
recommendations and other concerns around fitness.At this time the Wellness Committee has only
chosen to focus on school day events so you may see school related events
outside of the school day that still have food related celebrations.

In addition, I also know that the principals allowed the school nurses in each building to do a
presentation to the entire staff at the first scheduled faculty meeting of the
year.I also know that the PTO at Green
Meadow was made aware of this new policy and changed their traditional school
day ice cream social event into an end of the year crafts event.

Again, I am sorry that this information did not get
disseminated well enough to everyone.I appreciate all of those who have made
creative accommodations and would suggest that anyone in need of other creative
solutions speak to the school nurses and principals.

Sincerely,

Bob Gerardi

Important Events
and Reminders:

In an effort to
streamline these notes, I will provide important upcoming events or
announcements that have already been posted in previous Superintendent’s Notes
in this section.

2014/2015 Bus Registration

The
School Committee voted at the May 1st meeting to increase bus fees
to $260 for the 1st child and $215 for the 2nd child each
additional child beyond 2.

Registration
will be on May 19th. Forms will be available in school offices and
on our website on May 16th under “Forms to Download”. No registrations will be accepted before May
19th. Please call Colleen Moore if you have any questions
(978) 897-2222.

Maynard Community Gardeners 20th
Annual Plant Sale

Don’t miss the best plant sale around!MCG offers a wonderful selection of local,
freshly-dug perennials, and annuals.We’re now offering hanging baskets and annuals!

The plant sale is being held on the corner
of Maple and Summer Streets on Saturday, May 17th from 9:00 am to
12:00pm.

Congratulations are in order for the members of the Fowler School
Harmony Choir (6th & 7th grade chorus). These students participated
in the prestigious MICCA music festival on April 6th at Norwood High School.
The Harmony Choir earned a bronze medal for their performance and received high
scores from judges for tone quality, technical facility, and dynamic control.

If you missed the festivals,
don't worry; both of these choirs will be performing on Friday, May 30, 2014 at
7:00 PM in the Fowler
School Auditorium.
Mark your calendars!

SING and The Fowler School
Harmony Choir are both un-auditioned, after-school choruses run by FASC with
support from the Maynard Music Association. Look for new members welcome
next fall.

Be a Host Family
for a Maynard International Student

Educatious International
introduced us to our first international student from Brazil this year.As we look to expand the cultural diversity
and cultural understanding of Maynard
High School, it is
helpful to identify hosts families before we receive applications from
international students for next year.

Educatius International is
currently accepting host family applications for the September 2014 school
year. Educatius International
offers a monthly stipend of $700.00 for each student placed in a host families
home, each family can host up to 2 students for a
total of $1400.00.

Educatius International
is seeking families that want to open their home to an international
student.The host families should desire
to provide a warm and supportive home and family environment and the students
should become part of your family.This
can be a positive and rewarding experience for everyone in your family.Hosting a student can provide you with
amazing opportunities and lifelong friendships.

Open your heart, your home,
and share our unique international community!Invite an international student into your home.

Pesticide Spraying

Maynard High School,
Fowler School, and Green Meadow School will undergo exterior building pesticide
spraying this spring by Waltham Service, Inc. Further information is available
at www.mass.gov/agr.
Follow the links to the Children’s protection page for: Chemical Specific Fact
Sheet and Consumer Information Bulletin for school, day care, and school age
childcare programs.

Friday, May 9, 2014

The School Committee voted at the May 1st
meeting to increase bus fees to $260 for the 1st child and $215 for
the 2nd child each additional child beyond 2. Registration will be on May 19th.
Forms will be available in school offices and on our website on May 16th
under “Forms to Download”. No
registrations will be accepted before May 19th. Please call
Colleen Moore if you have any questions (978) 897-2222.

Maynard
Community Gardeners 20th Annual Plant Sale

Don’t
miss the best plant sale around!MCG
offers a wonderful selection of local, freshly-dug perennials, and
annuals.We’re now offering hanging
baskets and annuals!The
plant sale is being held on the corner of Maple and Summer Streets on Saturday,
May 17th from 9:00 am to 12:00pm. For
more information or to join our club, visit: www.MaynardGardeners.org

Massachusetts
Bay Community College
STEM Expo

Dr. Chitra Javdekar and the STEM faculty would like to
invite you to MassBay’s STEM Expo. In addition, we would also like to use this
opportunity to try to capture students who have not yet committed to a college
to explore Mass Bay as a place where they can get their
start. We also provide an affordable option for financially savvy families. We
are happy to provide transportation for those who need it; just let us know as
soon as you can.

Please share this event with parents/guardians, teachers,
and students. We are excited to showcase the innovations and accomplishments of
our current students.

Jeff Umbrell
auditioned and was accepted to the All State Band. He played in Symphony Hall
in Boston in
March. This is a huge honor as they only accept enough musicians to make up one
band, one chorus and one orchestra!

Jeff and Ryan
Chiasson received another amazing musical honor last week. They were both
accepted into the Sousa Bands of America New England Festival with top seats in
the wind ensemble! They will be rehearsing during April vacation with the
best student musicians in New England and performing up in Maine at the culmination of the event!

Natick Mall Summer Camp 2014

As part of Microsoft’s commitment to education, they are
hosting in-store Summer Camps.

Over April
Vacation Assistant Principal Purnima Vadhera and I had the good fortune to
visit 5 cities and three schools in ten days.It was an ambitious schedule and it felt very much like “The Amazing
Race”.

If you are
interested in hearing more about the potential educational benefits of
developing partnerships with schools in China, I will be presenting more
information about this trip at the school committee meeting next Thursday
night.

Important Events
and Reminders:

In an effort to
streamline these notes, I will provide important upcoming events or
announcements that have already been posted in previous Superintendent’s Notes
in this section.

SING and The Fowler
School Harmony Choir
Upcoming Performances

Congratulations are in order for the members of the Fowler School
Harmony Choir (6th & 7th grade chorus). These students participated
in the prestigious MICCA music festival on April 6th at Norwood High School.
The Harmony Choir earned a bronze medal for their performance and received high
scores from judges for tone quality, technical facility, and dynamic control.

If you missed the festivals,
don't worry; both of these choirs will be performing on Friday, May 30, 2014 at
7:00 PM in the Fowler
School Auditorium.
Mark your calendars!

SING and The Fowler School
Harmony Choir are both un-auditioned, after-school choruses run by FASC with
support from the Maynard Music Association. Look for new members welcome
next fall.

Be a Host Family
for a Maynard International Student

Educatious International
introduced us to our first international student from Brazil this year.As we look to expand the cultural diversity
and cultural understanding of Maynard
High School, it is
helpful to identify hosts families before we receive applications from
international students for next year.

Educatius International is
currently accepting host family applications for the September 2014 school
year. Educatius International
offers a monthly stipend of $700.00 for each student placed in a host families
home, each family can host up to 2 students for a
total of $1400.00.

Educatius International
is seeking families that want to open their home to an international
student.The host families should desire
to provide a warm and supportive home and family environment and the students
should become part of your family.This
can be a positive and rewarding experience for everyone in your family.Hosting a student can provide you with
amazing opportunities and lifelong friendships.

Open your heart, your home,
and share our unique international community!Invite an international student into your home.

Pesticide Spraying

Maynard High School,
Fowler School, and Green Meadow School will undergo exterior building pesticide
spraying this spring by Waltham Service, Inc. Further information is available
at www.mass.gov/agr.
Follow the links to the Children’s protection page for: Chemical Specific Fact
Sheet and Consumer Information Bulletin for school, day care, and school age
childcare programs.